Hay-rake.



No. SHAW. Patented Nov. 6, I900.

' G. MELANQON,

HAY RAKE.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1898.)

-(JNO Mudel.)

INVENTOR Uniinn TATES ilrricn.

UIQSAIRE MELANQON, OF PLA'I"ENVILLE, LOUISIANA.

HAY-RAK E.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,415, dated November 6, 1900.

Application filed October 3, 1898.

To all whom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, CESAIRE MELANQON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plattenville, in the parish of Assumption and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay- Rakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in revolving wheeled horse hay-rakes; and my improvements consist in novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention maybe fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective View of my improved hay-rake.

1 is a neck-yoke supported in a tongue 2, the tongue being secured at its inner end to an axle 1, journaled in ground-wheels 4.

1 is a transverse bar secured to the tongue. Attached to the upper side of the axle 1 and transverse bar 1 are side bars 2, and be tween the tongue 2 and the side bars is a flooring 3, also supported on the axle and transverse bar. The transverse bar 1 provides means for supporting the singletrees 14, whereby the team is hitched to the machine.

15 is a pair of angle-brackets attached to the side bars and to which my improved rocking rake-frame is pivoted by bolts 18. This frame is constructed with side beams 5, a transverse bar 5 .at its forward end, and a transverse bar 5 intermediate of its ends. My revolving rake-head is located at the rear end ofthe rocking frame, being provided with a shaft 16, having rows of teeth 17, and is journaled to the side beams. Thi rake-head is arrested in its movement and released by an arched frame 6, pivoted to the side beams by bolts 18 and seating when in normal position against stops 7, as indicated in dotted lines.

9 is an angle-bracket secured to the intermediate transverse bar 5 by a bolt 18. This angle-bracket provides a support for a lever .J, pivoted by a bolt 18 thereto and connected by a chain 8 with the arched frame 6, whereby the latter is pulled out of the path of a row of rake-teeth 17 engaged thereby to enable the last released row of teeth to leave Serial No- 692,573. (No model.)

fra me is released to hold the next row of teeth and the advanced row of teeth in operative position. For lowering or raising the rear end of the rocking frame to place the rake head in operative or inoperative posit-ion and for adjusting it in height I provide the means new described.

13 is an angle-bracket secured by a bolt 18 to the tongue 2.

13 is an angle-bracket secured by a bolt 18 to the forward transverse bar 5 of the rocking frame.

ll is a lever hearing at its middle part 18 against the angle-bracket 13 on the forward transverse bar and pivoted to the anglebracket 13 by a bolt 18 This lever is provided with a spring-latch 12, adapted to engage the teeth of a rack or ratchet bar 10, se cured to the tongue.

The object ofmy invention is to provide a rake for hay, vines, &c., especially to arrange it so that its teeth may be easily and conveniently raised and lowered, this being done without stopping the machine.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The driver sits where he can conveniently handle the levers 9 and 11. Ashe d rivcs the machine forward the hay is caught by one row of the teeth and turns the axle 16 until another row of the teeth rests against the arched frame 6. Then as the machine moves forward the teeth nearest the earth catch the hay and drag it along until the driver depresses the lever 9, raising the arched frame. Then this is done, the arched frame is lifted, so that it does not engage a row of the teeth of the rake, and thereupon the weight and inertia of the hay below cause the teeth to turn the axle 16. As soon as the teeth pass the arched frame the driver releases the lever 9, whereupon the weight of the arched frame causes the latter to fall back to its normal position upon the stop 7, thus engaging the next row of teeth as the axle 16 revolves. The driver continues on his way and when he thinks proper he again depresses the lever 9, again releases the gathered-up hay, and is again in position to go on with the rake. The distance of the teeth from the ground is regulated by means of the lever 11. The driver withdraws the latch 12 from engagement with the ratchet 10 and may then raise or lower the lever 11 at will. As he raises the lever 11 he raises the front end of the rocking frame, and thereby lowers the rear of this rocking frame, causing the teeth to go nearer the earth. On the other hand, if the driver desires to lift the teeth from the earth he depresses the lever 11. In this Way, according to the position of the latch 12 in the rack or ratchet bar 10that is, according to the position of the lever 11the teeth are kept nearer to or farther from the ground. Thus it becomes easy for the driver at any time not only to regulate the distance between the teeth and the earth on the level ground, but also to raise or depress the teeth at any given place in case there should be a little hill or a slight depression in his Way. This arrangement enables the driver to avoid mixing earth with the hay, as is often done at present.

Having thus described my invention, the following is What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A hay-rake comprising a supportingframe, a rocking frame pivoted to the supportingframe, alever pivoted to the rocking frame, a revolving rake-head having rows of teeth and journaled to the rocking frame, a stop on the rocking frame, an arched frame pivoted to the rocking frame and resting in normal posit-ion against the stop to arrest the rotation of the rake-head, and means whereby the arched frame is connected with the lever.

2. A hay-rake comprising a supportingframe, a rocking frame pivoted to the supporting-frame, a lever pivoted to the supportingframe, and bearing on the forward end of the rocking frame, a ratchet-bar secured to the supporting-frame and with which the lever on the supporting-frame is engaged, a lever pivoted to the rocking frame,a revolving rakehead journaled to the rocking frame, an arched frame pivoted to the rocking frame to arrest the rotation of the rake head, and means whereby the arched frame is connected with the lever on the rocking frame.

3. A hayrake comprising a supportingframe, a rocking frame pivoted to the support ing frame, a lever pivoted to the rocking frame, a revolving rake-head journaled to the rear end of the rocking frame, an arched frame pivoted to the rocking frame, to arrest the rotation of the rake-head, means whereby the arched frame is connected with the lever, and means for adjusting the forward end of the rocking frame.

I11 testimony whereof I aftix 'my signature in presence of two witnesses.

(JESAIRE MELANQON. Witnesses:

J. B. CROCHET, THEODORE MELAN ON. 

